Carbohydrate

How it is used

Divided into monosaccharides (glucose, fructose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose) and polysaccharides (starch, glycogen, cellulose). Sugar names usually end in -ose. Informally shortened to carbs, but not in scientific writing.

Example sentences

1. Plants store carbohydrate as starch, while animals store it as glycogen.

2. Cellulose is the most abundant carbohydrate on Earth.

Common collocations

• complex carbohydrate
• simple carbohydrate
• carbohydrate metabolism
• storage carbohydrate

Related terms

• lipidA fatty or oily organic molecule that does not dissolve in water, such as a fat, oil, phospholipid or steroid. Lipids store energy and form cell membranes.
• proteinA large molecule made of one or more chains of amino acids folded into a specific shape. Proteins build cell structures, speed up reactions and carry signals.
• photosynthesisThe process in which plants, algae and some bacteria use light energy to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen as a by-product.
• cellular respirationThe process by which cells break down glucose and other food molecules to release energy and store it as ATP. When oxygen is used, carbon dioxide and water are produced.
• cell wallA strong, rigid layer outside the cell membrane that supports and protects the cell. Plants, fungi and most bacteria have cell walls, but animal cells do not.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• carbohydrate · Food Science & Technology
• carbohydrate · Nutrition & Dietetics
• carbohydrate · Sports & Fitness

More terms: Molecules of Life and Metabolism

• enzyme
• metabolism
• amino acid
• ATP
• denature